YOUR DUES DOLLARS AT WORK Encouraging Participation CCA Addresses Membership Priorities at Midyear Meeting Both the CCA Midyear Meeting under the new process, should be and annual CCA Convention provide a allowed to signify their eligibility to unique opportunity for CCA members vote and cast their ballot on the same to direct the organization on important form. Stakeholders will also need to issues facing ranchers throughout the discuss how to improve outreach on state. Following prior approval by the an upcoming vote prior to the vote corresponding policy committees, the actually occurring. CCA staff will CCA Board of Directors approved begin to compile these improvements four resolutions that will serve as and suggestions and be prepared to interim policy until the membership report back to the membership at the is given the opportunity to formalize November convention. the resolutions at CCA’s upcoming In addition, the CCA Board of convention in November. Directors moved to amend CCA’s Of specific note, the board policy dealing with the exploration approved policy offered by of fossil fuels to support hydraulic theHumboldt County Cattlemen’s fracturing. CCA has strict policy Association that would direct CCA supporting private property rights staff to petition the California and the board determined that the Department of Food and Agriculture resolution brought forward by the San to begin the process of initiating a vote Benito County Cattlemen’s Association to increase the beef checkoff from $1 is consistent with other policies to $2 per head collected at the time of supporting private property rights. sale. This vote would of course follow While hydraulic fracturing is a recent attempt that failed in 2012. specifically mentioned, the resolution While the previous vote received the states that CCA shall support all lawful approval of more than 50 percent of forms of oil and gas exploration as the electorate, state law requires that a complimentary use of California’s a threshold of 60 percent be achieved rangelands to provide supplemental to increase the checkoff amount. The income to ranching operations. resolution states that the checkoff is Although hydraulic fracturing, better necessary to increase the purchasing known as “fracking,” is a time-tested power of the checkoff, considering the technology, it has recently come under buying power of $1 has been cut in half scrutiny from state policy makers due since the assessment was first put in to its alleged environmental impact. place. The resolution specifically directs Hydraulic fracturing is deemed CCA to petition that the full amount of safe and many measures are taken the increase remain in California and to ensure that groundwater is not be distributed at the discretion of the polluted. Regulations already exist California Beef Council. and are administered by the California Although the resolution was Department of Conservation which adopted at Midyear, an actual vote regulates California’s oil and gas should not be expected to take place industry however SB 4 by Sen. Hannahuntil late 2015 or early 2016. Not only Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has will the Department of Food and been proposed to further regulate Agriculture be required to make the hydraulic fracturing, to the point it necessary preparations for the vote, but would become cost prohibitive. stakeholders will need to discuss the Other resolutions approved by the previous voting process and determine Board of Directors include a policy what improvements can be made. For directing officers and staff to determine example, it has been suggested that if a lawsuit should be filed against the the previous staged voting process California Fish and Game Commission should be disbanded and a voter, for listing the gray wolf as endangered 12 California Cattleman July • August 2014
(more details in article on page 14) and a policy directing staff to work with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, to revise their process used to designate the drought status for counties across the United States which has a direct effect on disaster relief payments issued by the Farm Services Agency. Please remember that these resolutions will need to be affirmed by those members who are present at the annual CCA Membership Meeting which will be held in conjunction with the 2014 Annual CCA/CCW Convention held in Sparks, Nev., beginning Nov. 20.